MAKING THE PERFECT SUMMER COME TRUE
Summer Placements (aka internships) are a great way to give students a taste of your business, and start to build a pipeline of talent for your graduate programme. Laing O’Rourke had previously focused on a scholars program; as they moved to a Summer Placement scheme, so they offered students the chance to choose the length of their programme – anything from 6 to 12 weeks. In the first year of the programme, we couldn’t spend a huge amount going onto campus. So we had to select a few, key campuses and make the best possible impression. The message was simple – ‘Make the perfect summer come true’ – because with Laing O’Rourke, you can choose how much you work and how much you holiday!
A GREAT WAY TO ENGAGE
We went onto some key campuses, including Manchester, Nottingham and Loughborough, and we went in style. We took a hackney carriage taxi that had been converted into an ice cream cab, and we gave away ice-creams. Now, this was in February – not a time known for eating ice cream. But it definitely got us noticed – lots of students came up to us to ask why ‘ice cream’ at this time of year. Which was a great conversation starter and helped us to promote the ‘perfect summer’. The fact that it was even snowing when we were on campus at Manchester only added to the intrigue!